Researchers in Australia have devised a test that can determine a new coronavirus infection in about 20 minutes using blood samples in what they say is the world’s first breakthrough.
Monash University researchers said their test can determine if someone is currently infected and if they have been infected in the past.
“Short-term applications include rapid case identification and contact tracing to limit viral spread, while population screening to determine the extent of viral infection in communities is a long-term need,” they said. The researchers in an article published in the journal ACS Sensors on Friday.
The research team was led by BioPRIA and the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University, including researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence in Convergent Science and Technology at BioNano (CBNS).
Her test, which uses 25 microliters of plasma from blood samples, looks for clumping, or a pool of red blood cells, that causes the coronavirus.
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While the current swab test is used to identify people who are infected with the coronavirus, the agglutination test, or tests to detect the presence and amount of a substance in the blood, can also determine if someone has been infected. recently, after the infection is resolved, they said.
Hundreds of samples can be analyzed every hour, the researchers said, and they hope it can also be used to detect antibodies raised in response to vaccination to help clinical trials.
A patent for innovation has been filed and researchers are seeking commercial and government support to expand production.
The new coronavirus has infected more than 13.8 million people worldwide and has killed nearly 600,000 since its appearance in China late last year. Australia has reported more than 11,000 cases and 116 deaths.
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